1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention relates generally to gaming, and more particularly to games having protection for bets placed by a player.
2. Background of the Related Art
Casino games are popular, and recently many varieties of new Casino games have been introduced, especially those that can be played over a network such as the Internet. These games allow, in some jurisdictions, players to make bets and win prizes as if they were playing in a casino. The Internet has gained a great deal of popularity on certain “betting” card games, such as blackjack. The rules of these types of games are similar to those played in a casino, and therefore, these games have similar odds of winning as casino games.
Bet protection is often used by players engaging in gaming in order to limit their risk in playing the game. One such game in which players often utilize bet protection is blackjack, where bet insurance is available in several forms—these bet protection forms are referred to as “blackjack insurance” and “surrender.”
“Blackjack insurance” provides each player with the option of making a side bet if that player believes based upon the dealer upcard, that the dealer may have a blackjack. Blackjack insurance is considered a side bet because it is distinct from the player's initial bet. A player is allowed to make a blackjack insurance side bet only if the dealer upcard is an ace. Typically, a player is typically allowed to wager, for this side bet, up to one-half of his initial bet. A player wins this side bet if the card that was initially dealt face down to the dealer completes a blackjack for the dealer, and otherwise loses this side bet. A player who wins this side bet (e.g., there is a blackjack for the dealer) will typically be paid based upon his side bet using a 2:1 ratio (e.g., such that a $5 side bet results in a $15 payout). If there is no blackjack for the dealer, the player loses the side bet. Because a player who wins this side bet is likely to have lost the initial bet (e.g., the dealer's hand turned out to be a blackjack), the player's winnings on this side bet typically cancels out the player's loss on his initial bet. Thus, “blackjack insurance” allows the player to hedge his/her initial bet to lower their risk of losing. Also, with blackjack insurance, each player is allowed to place a side bet that will win if the dealer's hand turns out to be a blackjack.
Another form of bet protection in blackjack referred to as “surrender” provides each player with the option of terminating a round of play after the starting hands have been dealt. Such an option is useful in situations where that player has been dealt a “bad” starting hand that is likely to bust (if an additional card is drawn) or to lose to the dealer's hand (if an additional card is not drawn). If, for example, a player's starting hand includes a 5 and a 10 and the dealer's upcard is a Jack, only an additional card of 6 or below will not “bust” the player, while “standing” with only 15 points is likely to lose to the dealer. In this situation, the player is likely to bust or lose. Surrender is typically practiced by the player taking back one-half of his initial bet and “surrendering” the other one-half of his initial bet to the dealer while terminating the round of play. For example, if a player who made a $10 initial bet surrenders, he/she takes back $5 of his/her initial bet, surrenders the other $5 to the dealer, and terminates the round of play. Historically, the surrender option has not proven to be popular among blackjack players.